Northern Lights Anglican Parish (Haileybury, Ont.) is a multi-point parish along the Ontario-Quebec border around Lake Temiskaming. The parish is composed of Christ Anglican Church (Englehart, Ont.), Grace Anglican Church (South River, Ont.), St. Andrew's Anglican Church (Chamberlain, Ont.), St. Faith's Anglican Church (Charlton, Ont.), St. James' Anglican Church (Cobalt, Ont.), St. James' Anglican Church (Heaslip, Ont.), St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church (New Liskeard, Ont.), St. Luke's Anglican Church (Hanbury, Ont.), St. Paul's Anglican Church (Elk Lake, Ont.), and St. Paul's Anglican Church (Haileybury, Ont.).
In 1907 Mr. Ballard, Curate of the St. Faith’s in Tynemouth, England, was sent to this northern Algoma region to give a donation of $136.83 to Rev. John Leigh (ordained December 20, 1908). This money was to be used in the development of five small churches in the area, the mother church being Christ Anglican Church (Englehart, Ont.).
In the early years, Rev. Leigh would make a circuit of the area performing Sunday services every two weeks. He would arrive in Charlton the Saturday night, leave for Englehart the Sunday afternoon, and the next Sunday leave for Heaslip for a morning service, then a train to Thornloe for an afternoon service, and a last train back to Englehart for an evening service.
The area suffered a devastating fire on October 4, 1922. Five of the mission churches burned: St. Paul’s (Haileybury, Ont.), St. George’s (North Cobalt, Ont.), St. Luke’s (Harley Township, Ont.), St. Oswald’s (Thornloe, Ont.), and St. Faith’s (Charlton, Ont.).
The Northern Lights Parish was established officially in 1998 with five congregations: It originally consisted of five congregations: St. James’, Cobalt, St. Paul’s, Haileybury, St. John’s, New Liskeard, Christ Church, Englehart and St. Faith’s, Charlton. In 2005, St. Faith’s, Charlton, closed its doors and the congregation was invited to join the congregation of Christ Church, Englehart, which is a ten minute drive from Charlton. In 2013 the congregation of St. John’s, New Liskeard, made the decision to close its doors, while working through a parish assessment laid out by the Diocese. St. Paul’s, Haileybury, opened their arms and the invitation of a merger between the two congregations was offered. Haileybury is approximately a 10 min. drive from New Liskeard. The two congregations are now merged and the identity of both churches was voted on and accepted as The Church of St. Paul and St. John.
Northern Lights Parish has a Parish Council which consists of the Clergy and the Wardens and a member at large of each congregation. The Council oversees all activities throughout the parish and makes decisions in temporal matters. Parish Council passes down information from the Diocese to the individual congregations, and determines the share of the expenses to be paid by each congregation
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